What if the person you love most in the world was in terrible danger … because of you?

Three years ago, Toni’s five-year-old daughter Evie disappeared after leaving school. The police have never been able to find her. There were no witnesses, no CCTV, no trace.

But Toni believes her daughter is alive. And as she begins to silently piece together her memories, the full story of the past begins to reveal itself, and a devastating truth.

Toni’s mind is trapped in a world of silence, her only chance to save herself is to manage the impossible. She must find a way to make herself heard. She must find her daughter.

A compelling, gripping thriller with a breathtaking twist that will keep you awake until the early hours. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors and The Sister.

After having devoured the author’s first book (you can find my review of Safe with Me here), I knew I just had to get the second story. But the thing with second books is that your expectations are sky high and it puts those stories under a lot of pressure. Few can handle it, I’ve seen series or authors lose their flame after that first beautiful spark. I am happy to declare this was not the case with Blink.

Now, the first thing that came to mind when I read the title was the Doctor’s warning to not blink when faced with weeping angels. You don’t get stone aliens or whatever here, but what is in a blink? A second, a warning, a nod, a sexy eye contact, a dust. Blinking is a reflex, but Blink gives you a taste of just how devastating this tiny gesture can be and how many different meanings and consequences it can have.

Old memories don’t always make a great deal of sense but they sometimes bring me comfort.

The book should wear a warning. Be prepared to lose track of time, plans, to cancel plans and become a hermit for a few hours. Because once you’re in, you’re locked in a nightmare you won’t want to wake up from. That is just how gripping Blink is.

Little Evie disappeared. One in a million kids going missing every year. But her mother believes she is alive. A usual survival trick to make it through another day when the person you love the most has left your side. Nothing very original, I hear you say. I laugh at your assumption because I felt the same. I laugh at our mistake!

You don’t always know how you’re going to react to a sudden tragedy breaking your life into little pieces.

So you start reading. A POV, the present, a hospital, someone suffered from a stroke, a mess of a head, locked memories. Another POV, the past, a most recalling, a mother trying to cope. Other POVs you can only discover by yourself. A whirlwind of thoughts whose only connection is little Evie. Bits and pieces from the present and the past that slowly create a path to the child, to what happened on a fateful day most parents dream about and wake up wrenched in sweat, tears down their faces and their hands clutching the sheets.

K.L. Slater masterfully plays with every chapter, every change of scenery, every character to lead you to Evie but never in a clean and cut way. You can’t keep your distance with the story. You have no choice but to feel, every page brings you emotions, and with every word comes tension, because whether you’re in the now or then, you are aware something is there, happening. You know you can’t trust everything and everyone, and your heart races a little faster with the fear of missing a hint, of messing up the cards you are handed, of not being able to read the map. Your thoughts are everywhere, you brain tries to make sense of what you read, your heart reaches out to that poor child. Blink has a ticking clock hidden at its center, the compelling read turning from a slow tale of a disaster into a race for the truth.

If hope is like the softest snow, then the dread that replaces it is the razor-sharp ice that will slash and pare your very soul to ribbons.

The characters skillfully tote you around to witness their lives, their struggles, their decisions, good or bad. Even though I disapproved of some of her choices, Toni moved me in a way I thought would not be possible. I am not a mother yet, but the cards life handed her, her love for her husband and daughter, her impossible task to recreate a life, her determination and her will to juggle it all made me root for her. I smiled at the relationship with her mother, as it looked a lot like what I share with mine. My heart broke for her.

I was all grown up and had to take everything life threw at me.

Even little Evie felt as if she was just here with me as I was reading. I enjoyed the flashbacks that allowed me to connect with that little girl, to create an image of her instead of just picturing a cold colored image of a child I did not know throughout the story. The people in Blink are real people, neighbors, friends, colleagues. They never felt they did not belong to the world we live in. This is both a reassuring and scary thought, depending on the characters you refer to! I believe such stories don’t work if they can’t be supported by the right protagonists. The ones you will find inhabiting this tale will make you react, one way or another. I know I cared a lot, I judged a little, I tried to understand, I fell into some pitfall and avoided others, I spotted red herrings, unable to make sure I was on the right track. I loved being left wondering all the way. Because suspicion is everywhere, and there are enough people around Evie to weave a hundred assumptions and point the finger. The characterization was so spot-on that every voice felt unique and trustful, every character having their own personalities, their own background, that is was difficult not to let yourself find some logic, some explanation, some reason to believe them, to question them, to trust them until…

It’s easy to get caught up in your own problems, focusing on what was lacking rather than counting your blessings.

Until you get what every lover of psychological thriller dreams of but seldom gets: the OMG moment, the plot twist that makes you yell “Whaaaaat?!” at the poor Kindle who delivered the news, the heart-stopping words that leaves you speechless. It takes a lot to leaves me fumbling for words, but the author managed to shut me up for five minutes straight. If this can’t convince you, nothing else will.

From this point, I became a crazy version of myself, sent everyone to hell and held on to my device until the ending delivered, and boy did it really deliver.

Blink has tension ratcheting up every time you close your eyes for a second while the efficient writing plays with your emotions and your mind. Blink is filled with the best of what a psychological thriller has to offer and deserves the award for Best Plot Twist of the year.

I would like to thank Bookouture for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour. This review is my unbiased thank you to them.

For many years, psychological thriller author KL Slater sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.

I’ve seen so many great reviews already for this one and I’m very happy your excellent review confirms what a great book this is. I’m so curious already about that twist that rendered you speechless! I already have it on my to buy-list so hope I’ll have it soon! Wonderful review!

Thanks so much! 😘 I am sure the plot twist will have the same effect on you! It’s only the second time it happens to with a book. Of course, we get lots of plot twists and some are really surprising but this one I never saw coming!!

Amazing review Donna! Best plot twist of the year…sign me up! I must add this to my TBR, I was undecided if I wanted to read another missing child book but your review is pushing me in that direction:) I’m so glad you enjoyed this one and your passion about it shines through in your review!

The missing case it handled differently from what I have already read so it was refreshing, even though the family’s emotions are bound to move you, I thought the whole plot was rather refreshing and that plot twist…! Thanks so much for your kind words, it’s always a bit scary to review for a blog tour!

Sounds like a great read. I totally agree when an Author writes a second book after such an amazing first one your hopes are hesitantly high. It’s so nice when your hopes are met. I am feeling this way about the second Angela Clarke I’m about to read. (Watch Me).
Your writing style is so nice and flowing. You write your reviews with such insight and thought that if I didn’t know better I’d think you were British with English as your first language.
I’m glad you loved the book.
Amanda.

I’ve heard of Angela Clarke, I hope the second book lives up to your expectations! 🙂
You have no idea how nice this is to hear.. well read 🙂 Thank you so much, I am happy the thousand of hours gulping down English has been useful! 🙂

This review! I have seen more than enough this week that have convinced me this is a must, but I am completely sold with your statement that it should come with a warning label! Eek 🤗 I am tossing another on the mountain. Let us hope it doesn’t fall.

Sooooo coooool that you got to be on this blog tour in particular!! I’m quite glad to hear that the author continues to be successful and has a bunch of surprises in store for her readers! Fantastic review too; I can really feel the love for this book. 😀

Yesss! So happy to see you rated this book five stars!! It sounds so good and I’m hoping to read it soon. I haven’t read anyhting by this author before, so this will be my first, and hopefully I’ll get to it next month! Can’t wait 🙂